Thursday, August 8, 2013

“Surviving
Doomsday 2012” is one of the retablo paintings I will be showing at my upcoming solo exhibition "Devocionales: Neo-colonial retablos from an archetypal perspective" at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, September 13th thru December 1st 2013. This piece as well as the rest of the paintings comprising “Devocionales”, is inspired in various archetypal images found in the Tarot
cards and re-interpreted in the light of global neo-colonial issues. In this
particular case the three painted panels are re-intepretationsof “the devil” (2), “the tower” (1) and “death” (3) major
arcana cards from the Tarot. These three cards share common themes of fear,
death, transformation and liberation.

Fear of a doomsday or apocalypse has been deeply ingrained in the human
psyche for millennia. This fear has been used and disseminated from world
religions to the mass media in order to control the minds and souls of large
populations.In the central panel there
is a representation of Saint Barbara, recognized by her specific symbols (the
crown, cup, sword and the tower(s) in the background. In this occasion she
appears before us with a web like aureole and a triple W crown, symbolizing the
power of the Internet and the World Wide Web. As she raises her sword, it
becomes a weapon of mass Information and thunder and lightning appear in the
sky symbolizing the sudden unpredictable effects this new technology may have
in our civilization.

Surviving Doomsday 2012

(Detail from Central Panel)

The two kneeling characters beside her represent two
aspects of the “Revolutionary” archetype.On the left hand a bearded man holding an electronic device with the
letter “I” refers to the conscious civilizing hero who has evolved taking
little steps and leaps in history while being baptized by the watersof “reason” and “knowledge”.He holds technology in his hands with the
hubristic signature of “I” while spilling a large cup of coke, symbolizing
consumerism and waste. Behind him a barrel of oil has a shell like logo
resembles a skull. On the left hand, we see a masked figure inspired by the
comic book character from V for Vendetta and popularized by the Occupy Wall St
Global movement. He holds one hand to his chest and holds a staff with the “A”
emblem for Anarchy. He represents the repressed subconscious urge for
revolution, chaos and upheaval. Right in between he and St. Barbara a broken TV
set signifies his irreverence towards the Media.Behind the masked revolutionary, a Christ
like figure breaks his chains and steps on a fallen eagle. This is inspired in
the Greek Myth of Prometheus, who was chained to a rock as punishment for stealing
the fire (technology) from the gods and giving it to humanity. Prometheus can
be viewed both as a cultural hero that brings light into the world as well as
the first revolutionary martyr who sacrificed himself for the sake of humanity.
Powerful socio economic and political structures represented by skyscrapers, a
Wal-Mart, communication towers and Spanish colonial towers are shaken and
affected by the Promethean principle. No one is immune to the power of change
and transformation brought by this archetype. A sunken statue of Liberty alludes
to a famous scene from the 1968 film “Planet of the Apes”. Right next to her a man holding a sign that
reads “The end is near: 2012” brings us to question the constructed stories we
are told.

Surviving Doomsday 2012

(Detail from left panel)

On the left
panel we find a depiction of a naked woman hiding a gun on one hand and holding
out some gold coins on the other. A little satyr holds a cup and an I-Pad in
front of her sex.Two winged demons that
resemble Mr. Burns from The Simpsons and Ronald Mcdonald hold a large yellow cloth
behind the woman. On the cloth an Eden like landscape is drawn with a tree,
representing the Judeo Christian notion of original sin associated with nature,
the body and the feminine principle. The yellow cloth serves as a curtain to
highlight whoever stands in front and at the same time conceal what’s happening
behind. Just like a large transnational corporation, the effectiveness of the
devil resides in capturing the consumer’s attention with its offers/temptations
while keeping its real identity or existence hidden from the public eye. The
lower inscription is in Latin and derives from the book of Mathew 4:9. It
reads: “Haec Omnia Tibi Dabo Si Cadens
Adoraveris Me” ("All this I will give you," he said, "if you
will bow down and worship me.")

Surviving Doomsday 2012

(Detail from right panell)

The right panel
shows us a skeleton with a gas mask and scythe wandering in a wasteland filled
with vestiges of the modern world. Some
vegetation can be seen springing out of this decay. This refers to the
inevitable destruction, transformation but also renewal that every civilization
must undergo. The Inscription below is also in Latin and it read: “Deficit Omne
Avod Nasciture. Quod Incepimus Conficiemus”.This translates in English as:“Everything that is born passes away. What we have begun we shall finish.”

Surviving Doomsday 2012

(Detail from Superior Panel)

The superior
panel of the painting depicts a crucified Christ on a tree with utility poles
in the background and 8 stars in a night sky.On each side of this panel there are astrological allegories that correspond
to specific archetypes. The Moon on the left side represents the nocturnal feminine
and subconscious principle while the Sun at the right side represents the daily
masculine and conscious principle. Right next to these celestial figures, two
angels hold two cart wheels with the signs of Saturn and Pluto, the archetypes
of structure and change. Right above the crucified Christ is the sign of
Uranus, which represents the Promethean archetype of revolution.

Surviving Doomsday 2012

(Detail from Central Panel)

The lower cental inscription is written in
Spanish : “Santa Red Informatica Mundial Libre Soberana e Independiente,
Concedenos la vision de un mundo libre de filtros y censuras”. (“Holy Informatic World Wide Web, Free
and Independent, Concede us the vision of a world free of filters and
censorships”). Thanks to the unlimited
access to information and visual resources through IT (Information technology)
I was able to research, develop and paint, reuniting all the different elements
and ingredients for the content for this altarpiece. From current World Issues, Art History, Tarot,
Astrology and Spanish Colonial Iconography, these altarpieces reflect an
interest and concern for the experiences and lessons derived from colonial to
neo-colonial times from an archetypal perspetive.

About this Blog

In this Blog I explore and discuss from an artist's perpective, issues related to contemporary culture, from colonialism to consumerism and how these impact our environment and cultural identities. As an artist coming from Puerto Rico and now living in Houston, Texas, I'm inspired by Spanish Colonial Iconography, Art History, Religious Syncretisms, Comparative Mythology and Pop Culture. I also study the Tarot, Astrology and Alchemy with a special interest in archetypes. All of the issues put forward on this blog derive from these interests and are reflected in my art as well. With these articles I wish to share with the world my own insights into the hidden connections I see between our past and present narratives. The aim is to bring some light into questions artist Paul Gauguin wrote in 1897 on one of his paintings; Where Do we Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?